Personal Branding: Raleigh, NC Rose Garden Portrait Session

Lately, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing several female entrepreneurs in my area, one of them is Ashley. Ashley recently decided to go full time with her business of Social Media marketing. As with any of my portrait sessions, I like to meet with my clients prior to the session, to talk about what they are looking for in regards to their photos. Being that she is the image of her business, we wanted something that would fit the look and feel of her brand, which is friendly, professional, approachable, and opted for an outdoor location photo shoot. We picked the Raleigh Rose Garden. It’s a gorgeous place with, you guessed it, lots of roses. We did our session in the morning, and were able to get some of that warm morning light. For this session, photographed using my Sony A7II and used a combination of the Sony 85mm 1.8 , the Sony 50mm 1.8 and the Tamron 24-70 2.8. I also used a combination of natural light with a circular reflector and when in the shade, I opted to add a kick of light with my Flashpoint Zoom R2 Speedlight. When I’m on location, I like to keep my gear as minimal as possible and a speedlight is just perfect! We did a variety of looks that ranged from business casual to a bit more casual. During my sessions, I like to give my clients the option to bring several outfits so I can help them pick which looks best on them. Plus, it opens up the possibility for them to have more looks. A quick and easy styling tip that I share with my clients (no matter the length of the session) is to think “layers”. For women, consider either a pair of jeans and a nice top, then pair that with a scarf and/or a jacket. This can also be done with maybe a skirt or a dress. Depending on the type of session, a hat can also be a good accessory. For guys, a pair of dark jeans and a sports jacket can go a long way! Consider a vest to switch it up or maybe a sweater to put on top. When it comes to picking out outfits for your portrait session, make sure to have something that makes you feel comfortable, and best represents you and your brand (if you’re going for a business headshot or personal branding portrait).